6032 W

Harrisburg Covered Bridge Restoration

Sevierville, Tennessee

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK:

STORIES FROM THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

BY GENE AIKEN

"Sevier County’s cherished old covered bridge stands as a memorial to the industry and hard work of the Early family: skilled engineers, millwrights and carpenters. The bridge also is a memorial to the Harrisburg Community and to the founders of that community. From around the turn of the century until 1915, Harrisburg was a busy commercial center. There was a store, a mill, a blacksmith, and a school but that is getting ahead of our story. Lets go back to the beginning as far as we know. When the pioneers in our area looked for a good home-site, they were looking for a source of good water (spring, brook, etc). Far sighted men were also looking for a stream with enough volume and fall to power a mill. There is a story that when the old bridge needed its cover repaired in 1910 that two small boys helped a Mr. Burns with the task. They climbed up on the bridge and helped to remove the old boards."